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Does Kohl’s Drug Test?

If you’re thinking about applying for a job at Kohl’s, it’s important to know if you’ll need to pass a drug test. In this post, we’ll answer all your questions about candidate and employee drug testing at Kohl’s. We’ll get started with the biggest question – Does Kohls drug test?

Does Kohls Drug Test Applicants in 2024?

Does Kohls Drug Test Applicants

When you apply for a job at Kohl’s, you may need to pass a drug test. It all depends on the position you’ve applied for.

If you’ve applied for a position in a Kohl’s store, then you won’t need to take a pre-employment drug test unless you’ve applied for a management role, loss prevention role, or an overnight position.

Anyone applying for a sales associate, cashier, daytime stocker role, etc. won’t be asked to take a drug test.

Overnight stockers usually have to take a drug test, as do candidates for supervisor, assistant manager, and general manager roles.

If you’ve applied for a position at a Kohl’s distribution center, then you will need to pass a pre-employment drug test.

When you fill out your job application, you’ll have to agree to a drug test, regardless of the position you apply for, but drug tests are only carried out for the type of positions mentioned above.

The question on the application form reads as follows “We conduct pre-employment drug screening for some positions. Are you willing to submit to a drug test?”

At your interview, you’ll be told if you need to take a drug test.

Does Kohl’s Drug Test For Corporate Office Positions?

You shouldn’t need to take a drug test for positions at Kohl’s corporate office unless you’ll be working in the daycare center or in the loss prevention department.

If a drug test is required, you’ll be informed at your interview.

Does Kohl’s Drug Test At The Interview?

Does Kohl's Drug Test At The Interview?

There’s a drug test after the interview for distribution center positions if they offer you a job, and employees have stated that they were given an oral swab drug test right after their interview.

Because of this possibility, you should make sure that you’ve abstained from drugs for 2 to 3 days before you make an application.

Interviews for distribution center jobs can take place very quickly, which means you might not have time to get clean in between making your application and attending your interview, so it’s best to have drugs out of your system before you apply.

If you need to take a pre-employment drug test at Kohl’s for a store or corporate office position, you’ll be informed about the drug test at your interview, but you won’t take the drug test there and then.

If your interview goes well and Kohl’s decides to hire you, they will send you a conditional offer of employment. The job offer will be contingent upon you meeting the specified conditions which include a background check and may include a drug test.

Once you accept the job offer and Kohl’s sends you the drug test information, you have a 48-hour window to go and get your drug test done at a medical facility.

If you don’t receive a drug test email, you won’t need to take a test and can attend orientation without worrying.

Does Kohl’s Do Random Drug Tests?

A random drug test is possible but unlikely.

When you take the job, you’ll sign paperwork to confirm that you agree to random drug testing, as well as reasonable cause and post-accident drug testing.

While reasonable cause drug testing and post-accident drug testing are carried out at Kohl’s, employees indicate that random drug tests do not happen.

Reasonable Cause And Post Accident Drug Testing

Kohl’s has a drug and alcohol-free workplace policy. You cannot be under the influence of drugs or alcohol at any time during your shift, or while you’re on company property during your breaks.

If your manager suspects that you could be intoxicated due to drug or alcohol use, they may ask you to take a test.

Signs of intoxication that could result in a drug test include:

  • Smelling of drugs or alcohol
  • Slurred speech
  • Unsteady movements
  • Excessive clumsiness
  • Inability to follow basic instructions
  • Emotional outbursts
  • Being aggressive or argumentative
  • Drowsiness or falling asleep
  • Red or bloodshot eyes

A post-accident drug test is usually required when there’s reason to believe that drug or alcohol use could have caused impairment that led to the accident. Managers may also require a post-accident drug test as a matter of routine even when they have no grounds to suspect drug use.

Workplace accidents cost employers and their insurers a huge amount of money every year, and if a drug or alcohol test comes back positive they can save a great deal of money because they won’t have to cover medical bills and sick pay or settle any liability suits.

At Kohl’s, a post-accident drug test is the most common drug test employees face.

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What Kind Of Drug Test Does Kohl’s Use?

If you’re asked to take a pre-employment drug test for a retail or corporate position, you’ll attend a medical facility where you’ll be given a urine drug test.

For distribution center pre-employment drug tests you’ll take a saliva test at the distribution center.

When you take your drug test at the medical center specified by Kohl’s, show your ID, then the technician will give you a sample cup and direct you to a bathroom.

Producing your urine sample is very straightforward, you just need to collect around 45 ml of urine in the cup.

It’s a good idea to drink some water before you attend your appointment so you can pee right away. If you don’t feel the need to urinate, you’ll have to wait around until you need to use the bathroom.

Don’t drink too much though. If your urine sample is too weak, it won’t pass the adulteration checks at the lab.

If you’re taking a saliva test, the procedure is also very straightforward. Saliva is collected using a cotton swab or an absorbent sponge. The whole process should take about 5 minutes.

Post-accident and reasonable suspicion drug tests will be urine tests.

Which Drugs Does Kohl’s Test For?

Which Drugs Does Kohl’s Test For?

Kohls can test you for a range of commonly used illegal drugs, these include:

  • Opiates
  • Cocaine
  • Marijuana
  • Amphetamines and methamphetamine
  • Phencyclidine (PCP)
  • Barbiturates
  • Benzodiazepines
  • Methadone
  • Methaqualone
  • Propoxyphene

On a saliva test, the drug detection window is fairly short and substances cannot be detected after 48 -72 hours.

To pass a pre-employment saliva test at a Kohl’s distribution center, you only need to avoid drugs for a few days before you make your application.

Urine tests can detect drugs for longer. Opiates, cocaine, amphetamines, and methaqualone can be present in your urine for as long as 4 days, and benzodiazepines and barbiturates can be detected for up to 7 days.

Methadone and propoxyphene have a shorter, 72-hour detection window, and phencyclidine remains in your system for up to 14 days.

Marijuana is the drug that remains in your system for the longest time. If you smoke 2 to 4 times a month, it can take about 3 weeks before you would pass a test. Use weed 2 to 4 times a week, and you may not be able to pass a test for 5 weeks. And if you smoke every day, you could get a positive urine test result for up to 3 months.

Does Kohl’s Test For Marijuana In Legal States?

Kohl’s tests for the drug, but they won’t use a positive marijuana result to discriminate against applicants or employees who hold a medical marijuana card, or who are a registered or certified medical marijuana patient.

This doesn’t mean that you can actively use medical marijuana at work or be under the influence of the drug during your shift.

Kohl’s reserves the right to impose disciplinary procedures on employees who use marijuana at work, who are impaired due to marijuana use, or who possess marijuana at a Kohl’s location.

So, for example, if you have to take a pre-employment drug test and you hold a valid medical marijuana card or a recommendation from your doctor, testing positive for marijuana wouldn’t result in your conditional offer of employment being withdrawn.

But, if you were asked to take a drug test for reasonable suspicion, or after an accident, and your result was positive, Kohl’s could take action against you and you could lose your job and your workers’ comp entitlement.

The levels recorded on the drug test would need to show that you were actually impaired by the drug, however. The mere presence of marijuana metabolites in your sample wouldn’t be sufficient grounds for termination.

If you will need to regularly use medical marijuana, you should take a copy of Kohl’s drug and alcohol policy to an employment rights lawyer who will be able to explain the effects of the policy with respect to the laws in your state.

Medical marijuana laws are in a state of flux, and employment protections for users are evolving. It’s in your best interest to know what current protections exist in your state.

What Happens If You Fail The Kohl’s Pre-Employment Drug Test?

If you fail the drug test, you will receive an email informing you that you have a positive test result and that your drug test needs to be reviewed by a Medical Review Officer (MRO).

The MRO is a licensed physician qualified to interpret drug test results. The MRO will need to speak with you to determine if there is a valid reason for your positive result – prescribed medication for example, or medical marijuana.

If you take medication, you’ll have to provide a valid prescription, and medical marijuana users will need to show their card or doctor’s recommendation.

If the MRO is satisfied with the information you provide, they will change your test result from positive to negative. But if you don’t have any valid reason for the positive result, then your result will remain positive and you will have failed the drug test.

After your interview with the MRO, your final drug test result will be emailed to you. A negative result means that you’re cleared to begin to work, while a positive result means your job offer will be withdrawn.

After a positive drug test result, you will have to wait 1 year before you can apply for another position at Kohls.

Quick Recap

Kohl’s carries out pre-employment drug testing for some retail positions and for all distribution center positions. At the corporate office, all employees working in a daycare center or loss prevention role will need to take a test.

Distribution center applicants will be tested on-site after a successful interview, other applicants will be tested at a local medical facility.

Kohl’s drug testing policy also allows for random drug tests, reasonable cause drug tests, and post-accident drug tests.

Medical marijuana users in legal states will not be discriminated against, but being under the influence of marijuana while at work or on company premises is grounds for termination.